Orange Revolution's tent city remains, but in a different form (12/19/04)

Orange Revolution's tent city remains, but in a different form

by Yana Sedova
Special to The Ukrainian Weekly

KYIV - During this, the third week of the Orange Revolution, the tent city on the Khreschatyk has been reconstructed into a well-knit camp. Military tents substitute for campers' versions, the number of inhabitants has been cut to the essential minimum for the purpose of guarding the city, and the role of the tent city's participants has been defined as to either organizing peaceful pickets or mobilizing supporters from the regions, if necessary. The street, meanwhile, is to be freed up.

The decision to change both the outward apprearance and the purpose of the tent city was made by the camp's central leadership in consultation with national deputies from Viktor Yushchenko's Our Ukraine coalition and the student group Pora (It's Time).

"The city remains until December 26, as a token and a bridgehead of the revolution," said Taras Lohynov, the commander of the city. "We have affiliations with the coordinating centers of different regions of Ukraine, and they are ready to send people to the capital on short notice."

Since its erection, the tent city grew so fast that the leaders of the action were not able to lay out a clear-cut plan of support. Volunteers formed the central leadership and divided the camp into separate sectors with a "senior" responsible for each sector. Since that time, the leadership has succeeded in providing necessities and housing, as well as in maintaining the tent cities set up near the Verkhovna Rada and the presidential administration building. Order and stability took over what previously seemed to be a free-for-all.

Mr. Lohynov said that unsolicited contributions from charity collection boxes were the only real money his team saw and that nobody was paid for what they were doing. The money was spent for the camp's needs. All other donations to the city were taken in kind. Kyivans brought apparel and food, firms bought various products, restaurants and kitchens supplied the tent city with hot meals.

Those responsible for the city managed to make it secure, and provided the daytime and nighttime emergency ambulance service and first aid for the inhabitants of the camp. A website was created for the city; there one could find information about the tent city's needs and its happy moments.

The commander even certified seven marriages that were celebrated in the tent city - this, of course, after the newlyweds showed their official marriage certificates.

Now Mr. Lohynov is about to relinguish his power to new managers from Our Ukraine and Pora, and the next period of the camp's life will be their responsibility.

"The camp will be erected on the sidewalk along the Khreschatyk," said Ihor Kotsuruba, a political leader of Pora. "Nasha Ukraina (Our Ukraine) will be the city's patron."

Meantime students and those who have been living here since the first day are being sent home. The camp seems to be almost empty as compared with its roaring lifestyle just a week ago.

"I planned to stay here until the time Viktor Andriiovych [Yushchenko] said: 'Thank you, friends, now you may go home. I'm leaving tomorrow, almost satisfied," said Mykhailo, who came from Volyn Oblast and has been in the city since November 26. "I still worry about the revote. I would like to go as an observer to some eastern polling station in order to prevent possible falsification."

Two young men from Dnipropetrovsk, who had arrived only three days earlier, said they were deeply impressed by the atmosphere in Kyiv and were not bothered that they almost missed the main events. They plan to go back home and move into the tent camp in the center of Dnipropetrovsk.

Svitlana, who has been living in the tent city since November 22, said that she would come back to Kyiv after the revote. "I made many friends here. We admire Kyivans who have been taking care of us. I never realized that they are so open and caring," Svitlana said.

More than 13,000 people were registered here since the first day, and many thousands who symbolically spent just a night or two here were unrecorded. Kyivans got used to visiting Independence Square twice or at least once a day, singly or in groups with colleagues and friends. Many of them brought children here during the recent weekends for them to witness the most important event of modern Ukrainian history.

"People from all over Ukraine flocked to the city. And they are the foundation of the Ukrainian nation. We will build democratic society on this," said Volodymyr, who came from Sumy Oblast. "The stereotype about Ukrainians as people who became used to ignoring insults is now destroyed. And I'm so happy that at the age of 53 I got to take part in this symbolic event."

His friends said that the recent decisions of the Verkhovna Rada are just the beginning of huge changes. They pin their hopes on the 2005 parliamentary election that might help in political housecleaning.

"Yushchenko can't get on the inside of what is really going on in the small towns and villages of Ukraine. But we know who is who. I hope next year the authorities will fire people of questionable conduct," said Volodymyr. "We will never be the same. We set a stone rolling. And, if the power structure begins its machinations again, we will come back and protect our rights."

Three young girls who work on the night watch of the medical service may look pretty tired, but they all say they will stay in the city until a clear victory is achieved. During the first week they worked here without rest; now the shift changes every 12 hours.

"Conscience is our guide here. We will keep on working because we are still wanted here," said Tetiana, a student of the National Medical University.

Hundreds of thousands of people have made the pilgrimage to the center of the Ukrainian capital since the run-off election on November 21. The energy they feel emanating from the Khreschatyk, they all agree, has been upholding the faith of the people of Ukraine.

Most of the tent city's inhabitants are now heading home, ready to serve as election monitors or agents of their favored candidate. They have taken on an important mission: to seal the achievements of the Orange Revolution.

And, they promise to come back after the December 26 repeat of the run-off to celebrate their victory together.

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